I
highly recommend everybody from now on to build the NetCDF library with FORTRAN 90 support. I am changing the entire NetCDF structure of ROMS to the FORTRAN 90 interface. It is much nicer and compact. It allows additional error checking.
This is done in preparation for NetCDF version 4.0 which was already released as a beta version at the end of April. This version has been under development over the last couple of years. We have been patiently waiting for it:
- It allows parallel IO using MPI-IO and HDF5
- Extended XDR layer
- large file support
- Multiple unlimited (growing) dimensions
- File compression capabilities
As you may know, one of biggest efficiency bottleneck nowadays is IO in some computers. So the next changes in ROMS IO are very important.
Please check the following
link 
for more information about NetCDF-4.